“Sou negra e estou entrando na Universidade!": acesso, permanência e empoderamento dos/as cotistas negros/as da UFG/UFCAT a partir da lei no 12.711/12.

Abstract

This study is located in the field of teacher training, in the line of research Educational Practices, Teacher Training and Inclusion, of the Postgraduate Program in Education of the Federal University of Catalão, and addresses the effects and impacts of Law 12.711/12 on the personal and professional lives of quota graduates of the UFCAT Pedagogy course. Therefore, we define the following research problem as the following: What are the challenges and experiences experienced by black quota graduates of the UFCAT Pedagogy course? In this sense, the core of this research is the experiences and challenges of access, permanence and empowerment resulting from affirmative actions reported by black quota graduates. In order to achieve the general objective of this research, which is: to understand the academic trajectory, seeking to point out and analyze the main challenges and experiences throughout the process of access, permanence and completion, it was necessary to read and reflect on the history of black people, from the slave trade to the present day, and, from there, analyze and discuss affirmative policies, here specifically the Quota Law, as well as actions aimed at eliminating and/or reducing structural racism, discrimination and marginalization of black people in our country. Therefore, we defined three specific objectives: a) To describe and contextualize Law 12.711/12 and its implementation at UFCAT; b) To identify black quota graduates of the UFCAT Pedagogy course, seeking to understand the academic trajectory, seeking to point out and analyze the main challenges throughout the process (access, permanence and completion); c) To discuss and evaluate the Racial Quota Law from the perspective of black quota students at UFCAT. In order to obtain the data that would allow us to fulfill the objectives of this research, two distinct stages were necessary: first, a thorough study on the ethnic-racial issue and a bibliographical survey that allowed us to learn about the current debate on ethnic-racial relations. Second, during the fieldwork, we defined our research participants and conducted semi-structured interviews, and from these, we organized the following analysis categories: knowledge of the Law; challenges for accessing and remaining in the course; and the process of empowering quota students. Racial discrimination is a factor that contributes to and accentuates social inequality among people. In this sense, we highlight the importance of public policies and government actions to reduce the racial "differences" that increase the exclusion of black people from different social spaces, among which higher education courses are cited. It was clear that there was progress in this process, and Law 12.711/2012, which completed 10 years last year, can be considered as one of the results of affirmative actions in favor of racial equality. Thus, we can already see a greater number of black people accessing higher education courses, but this is not enough. It is necessary to expand the development of public actions and policies that guarantee quality of access, permanence and training for these people, giving them the conditions to enter higher education, as a path to better opportunities for social advancement, access, permanence and coexistence in different social spaces, being treated with respect, dignity and equal opportunities.